The EU has launched a new project to study the feasibility of ocean carbon dioxide removal (CDR).
Titled “Strategies for the Evaluation and Assessment of Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal” (SEAO2-CDR), the new project is led by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in partnership with several other entities, among which is the World Ocean Council (WOC).
With the help of this study, the EU hopes to assess the potential of ocean carbon removal solutions to effectively remove CO2 from the air and, thus, help mitigate the climate crisis.
Carbon dioxide removal has been recognized by the IPCC as a necessary tool to limiting rising global temperature that must be used alongside measures designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
And the world’s oceans are thought to have immense potential to lock in and store vast amounts of carbon dioxide over very long periods of time, as described by Dr. Christopher Pearce, Principal Marine Geoscientist at NOC.
Dr. Pearce said: “Marine environments can be highly efficient carbon sinks that offer the potential to support climate mitigation strategies, but greater understanding of their impacts and effective monitoring structures are required before OCDR techniques can be implemented at scale.”
